(EN) MAS under fire over sacking of pregnant stewardess

The national carrier sacked Beatrice Fernandez in 1991 after she refused to
comply with company rules by resigning after becoming pregnant, the Sunday Star
newspaper said.

After a nearly 14-year legal battle, the country’s highest court rejected her
petition to review the airline’s working conditions, which have been amended
to say stewardesses can only have two children and must resign at 45.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil urged
the airline to review its "archaic" policies.

"It is long overdue. Although when women sign up as stewardesses they
agree to have only two babies and retire at 45, it is archaic to stop them from
having the number of babies they want as well as to tell them they cannot function
after 45," she said.

She urged the company to review the practice to bring it into line with the
national constitution, which outlaws discrimination on the grounds of religion,
race, descent or gender.

Gender discrimination at its worst

Malaysian Trades Union Congress deputy secretary general Abdul Halim Mansor
also said the airline’s policy was gender discrimination at its worst.

Fernandez, who worked for Malaysia Airlines for 11 years before her sacking
and now has three children, said despite her ordeal she would still return to
the company.

"I love my job very much and would like to carry on to become chief stewardess,"
she was quoted as saying by the Malay Mail newspaper.